Shadowaxe Tribe
The current and progenitor tribe that brought the Zul'Khani Empire back from ruin. Not to be confused with the Zel'ari Tribe. Formation and History of the Tribe The tribe was founded by present day Emperor, Rala'Khan Shadowaxe. Obviously, the name of the tribe derived from his last name, which was obtained from his notorious preferance for Axes than other weapons. The tribe was formed during Rala'Khans journey to the Eastern Kingdoms, once he had began to loose hope in finding the lost city of Zul'Khazar. His travels ended up leaving him at the Eastern Plaguelands, from there, he began to put his skill of survival to the test and began to slowly, but surely, form a tribe in which derived of mostly Forest Trolls in the beginning. Over time, they had amassed a widespread influence, and attracted the attention of many-a Troll. Soon, the tribe began to consist of Forest Trolls, Jungle Trolls, and even a couple of Dark Trolls. They kept an easy alliance with the Amani, being close to their lands enabled them to trade frequently and aid in skirmishes. They gained a very ruthless hate for Elves and would constantly attack and drive them away from the lands. Although many victories were had, there wasn't always a time for celebration, the Elves did retaliate, and sooner or later, a large scale battle would begin between the two. The battle would be long and bloody as any and the tribe lost their Amani support in the fight and they were left in the battlefield alone. They managed to secure victory, although it was quite the close shave. Rala'Khan knew that they could not last for any longer in the lands and began to pack up his tribe. As they began to retreat, they torched the village in an attempt to keep the coming forces distracted. They began to move southeast, crossing many hills and mountainous paths, eventually coming up on the Hinterlands. They climbed upon another mountainous range, coming up on a valley, sealed off from the rest of the region it seems and they saw in the distance a familiar sight, an ancient Troll city towering and casting a shadow upon the valley. They cheered and celebrated, scaling down the mountain without a care as they knew they were home. The city was deserted, ruined and full of riches, the sights were glorious and they began to settle in the city. Over time, Rala'Khan was crowned Emperor after a huge ceremony of feasting and the tribe became massive as they continued to scout out the lands in search of any troll that wishes to join in. They managed to form the city into the Empire it once was thousands of years ago. Their name carried across the lands, getting the attention of the powerful Zandalari, the progenitor tribe to all Trolls in existance. Soon, they joined in the conquest fortold by Zul, the reclaimation of all Troll lands that once belonged to all of them. With the aid of his powerful advisor and friend, Vorillj Vol'Khan, he did not hesitate to lend an axe to the cause. Military The Shadowaxe Tribe's military consisted of only the strongest and most intelligent trolls to take up arms, although Dire Trolls aren't that intelligent, they are literally tanks that plow through enemies on the field. Below is a list of notable classes used for their war effort. *'Spearmen', a spear wielding shieldman trained to be able to effectively use a spear while properly protected by medium to heavy armor and shields. These fierce warriors are fearless, and appear in the very front of any battle. *'Axethrowers and Archers', these Trolls are highly trained with their arts of marksmanship, Axethrowers are able to chuck axes at an extremely fast speed, while being accurate as well. The Archers darken the skies, overwhelming all enemies unlucky enough to be caught in a volley. The Axethrowers on the other hand are used more tactically, they are trained to flank around enemies using the enviroment such as trees to sneak in and fill their enemies with a face full of Tomahawks. *'Berserkers', probably one of the most powerful melee units to have on the field. They can go into a fit of rage, becoming an unstoppable force of fury while chopping their enemies to pieces. Even when they are struck they get angrier, seeming to ignore pain in their fit of rage. Of course, when the Berserker Fury wears off, they'll most likely feel their wounds take effect. *'Wilderness Stalkers,' these Trolls are heavily trained survivalists and assassins. They have the same purpose as Axethrowers above if in a field of battle, but when assigned for a hit job, they can effectively move into enemy territory and plan their kill, while surviving on the land itself. They can speak to the land and the spirits around them, asking for their aid. These are the ultimate survivalists and the only way they are trained is if they are cast out by tradition to fend for themselves for months on end. *'Primal', these warriors are fierce, revelling in bestial rage and can give into it completely. The Primal can take on the appearance of beasts, growing fur, fangs, claws, and many other features can be named. These warriors can take on the abilities of that certain animal, strength, agility, anything that may aid them in their battle. *'Shadow Hunter', masters of Voodoo magic, are among the highest authority in the Zul'Khani Empire. Their power can extend from casting curses or healing the wounded. They can develop bonds with the Loas that can allow them to take up their blessings and enchantments. These blessings can be immensely powerful, especially if the Shadow Hunter is devoted to that Loa. As they grow in their power, they get an even stronger bond with the Loa and can use their blessings and essence with little effort. Due to the Zandalari influence in the Empire, a new breed of Shadow Hunter has came to be, able to uphold the perks of a Berserker, while channeling the immense Voodoo power and Loa Blessings. *'Witch Doctor,' a Troll skilled in the arts of Voodoo and alchemy. They are known to perform unsettling rituals and commune with the Spirits, as well as brew dangerous mixtures. They can call upon supernatural powers to aid them in their efforts, whether it be curing the sick or bending nature around them to their will. They have the ability to cast wards that include healing, trapping and watching over the lands. They also have the ability to bend the will of lesser intelligent beings to their own, even being able to go as far as invading their mind and erasing their very memories and causing confusion, making their enemy unknowing of what is real, all of these are known to cause great pain as well. The Witch Doctor can grant aid to his allies with totems, their effects can vary from adrenaline rushes or bloodlusts to aid them in their fight. *'Dire Troll Berserker', a massive Troll that is much more larger than his other Troll brethren and as described above, is literally an almost unstoppable force on the battlefield. These gigantic Trolls have a variety of reasons as to their large stature, some are altered alchemically or magically through a curse or enhancement, they can even be just .. born that way! Aside from their origins, they ar e a rare but powerful Berserker that can charge into a mass of enemies and crush them piece by piece, while even going into a Berserker Rage at times that makes them much stronger and even more unstoppable. One must really be stupid to confront one of these monstrous trolls on their own, even with a group. These Trolls have been used in the Empire to guard small villages and the city of Zul'Khazar itself. Culture The Trolls of Shadowaxe act civilized while staying close to their tribal nature, much like the Darkspear. Loa worship is unlimited and the Empire worships many varieties of Loa as it is, although they look down upon Hakkar worship and it is strictly prohibited, it can result in exile or if in worse cases, death. The Trolls of the Empire come in many shapes, sizes and skin colors. You can venture to the great city and pretty much see every type of Troll there is in Azeroth roaming about. The Trolls remain loyal to the Empire and look upon each other as brothers and sisters, no recorded racial disagreements have happened at all. Voodoo is heavily practiced, as they see it is their very source of power. As opposed to the quote, "Stay away from da' voodoo", they sometimes encourage it. Cannibalism is practiced, however, it is prohibited to consume Troll flesh at any time. The art in the Empire is practiced on their enemies, such as elves or humans, but never another Troll. Holidays and Celebrations are held frequently by the Empire to keep its civility. The list below contains the Holidays and Events celebrated by the Trolls of the Zul'Khani Empire. *'Day of the Dead', an event in which the Trolls of the Empire honor their dead and perform rituals to awaken them, this will allow the Trolls to speak with their dead, learning history of their ancestors and meeting their families once more. Voodoo fills the air, and even those with little to no connection to spirituality can see and commune with the spirits until the Event ends. *'Fire Festival', this event takes place in the summer time for the Empire, they light many bonfires which are believed to ward off ancient evils and grant spiritual guardians upon their homes. The Trolls of the Empire can create firework-like concoctions with the help of their Witch Doctors and launch them into the air traditionally by gunpowder and fuse. There is also torch-dancing, juggling and fire breathing, as well as many bonfire dances. *'Festival of Brew', basically the same as Brewfest, the Trolls of the Empire celebrate by brewing their best drinks and concoctions to fuel the large parties that are held. Due to Witch Doctors and Alchemists, the brews are especially strong and have quite the kick, they are also told to be quite flavorful, in a good way of course. It is in celebration of their harvest, also resulting in banquets and buffets of Trollish cuisine. *'Festival of Flowers', this is an event that is exclusively held by the Empire in spring-time, in the colosseum. The holiday consists of females adorned with dresses and wreathes of flowers, they would reside in the stands of the colosseum, dancing and cheering. The males would gather in the pit of the colosseum and would go out in a brawl. Once the winner has defeated his opponents, he can pick out his mate from whichever female that he desires. There is also large buffets held, mostly consisting of sweet foods such as fruit, they also brew their special drinks for the occaison. *'Winter-Veil', an event in which the Ice Trolls of the Empire have an influence in. The celebration consists of large feasts, gift giving, ice sculpture competitions and of course, snowball fighting. The Trolls believe in a spirit that arrives at the city to give them gifts, they traditionally line their walls with pouches and sacks and await til the morning when they realize it is stuffed with gifts, the spirit is possibly a Loa of a sort as it is believed that his presence brings good days and happiness'.'